2023 WAC ITF Men's Championship Complete Results

2023 WAC ITF Women's Championship Complete Results

SPOKANE, Wash. – Grand Canyon continued its dominant run in the men’s draw and Stephen F. Austin captured its first women’s title since joining the conference to complete the 2023 WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday evening at The Podium.

Grand Canyon secured a seventh straight men’s team championship with 139.5 points, outpacing runner-up Stephen F. Austin and its 100 points. Southern Utah finished third with 99 points, Utah Valley was fourth with 93 points and UT Arlington was fifth with 72.5 points.

Stephen F. Austin earned the women’s hardware with 99.5 points, beating co-runners up NM State and Sam Houston (83 points). Defending champion Grand Canyon placed fourth with 82 points and Utah Valley checked in fifth with 81.5 points.

Major award winners from the meet included: Utah Valley’s Habtamu Cheney as Men’s Outstanding Track Performer; Everlyn Kemboi from Utah Valley as Women’s Outstanding Track Performer; Astley Davis from Southern Utah and Jorden Okyere from Grand Canyon as Men’s Outstanding Field Performers; Michelle Ogbemudia from Stephen F. Austin as Women’s Outstanding Field Performer; Stephen F. Austin’s Semion Brodski as Men’s Freshman of the Year; Jade Johnson from Sam Houston as Women’s Freshman of the Year; Utah Valley’s Cheney and Okyere as Men’s High Point Award winners; Jhana Downie from NM State and Utah Valley’s Kemboi as Women’s High Point Award winners; Grand Canyon’s Tom Flood as Men’s Coach of the Year; and Stephen F. Austin’s Robert Hansen as Women’s Coach of the Year.

Stephen F. Austin’s Semion Brodski took home the men’s heptathlon by scoring 5,307 points. UT Arlington’s Lucas Van Klaveren won four individual events during the heptathlon but was unable to finish the 1000-meter run due to injury, ultimately placing fifth in the standings.

Nissi Kabongo defended the women’s high jump championship representing Stephen F. Austin, clearing 1.80m (5-10.75) on her first attempt to capture the conference title. Utah Valley’s Jordan McKeever was the winner of the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.14m (7-0.25).

Abilene Christian’s Ella Anttila repeated as the conference women’s triple jump champion with a fifth-round effort of 13.28m (43-7.0), the longest jump at the WAC Indoor Championships in 13 years. Astley Davis from Southern Utah was the men’s triple jump victor thanks to a 15.47m (50-9.25) try on his third attempt.

NM State’s Phethisang Makhethe won a second straight indoor weight throw championship thanks to a 20.61m (67-7.50) showing in the fifth round. Grand Canyon’s Jorden Okyere continued a dominant weekend with a clean sweep of the throws, taking the men’s weight throw by covering 20.23m (66-4.50) to open the finals flight.

On the track, Southern Utah’s Madisan DeBos won a competitive women’s mile final with a time of 4:55.74 to best teammate Haley Tanne (4:56.42). Santiago Gaitan completed the Southern Utah sweep by winning the men’s mile final by crossing the finish line in 4:05.46.

Keira Christie-Galloway earned a Grand Canyon win in the women’s 60-meter hurdles final heat, crossing in 8.23 for the win. On the men’s side, Joel Bengtsson from UT Arlington broke the conference’s indoor and meet championship record with a blazing men’s 60-meter hurdles finals time of 7.68 to take the top spot.

Rajer Gurode led a 1-2 Sam Houston punch at the top of the women’s 60-meter dash final, clocking a 7.33 for the win to edge out teammate Anivea Gilbert (7.35). Tarleton’s Justin Raines defended his 60-meter dash championship on the men’s side, running the WAC’s fastest 60-dash final since 1999 with a time of 6.60.

NM State’s Jhana Downie was the first runner across the line in the women’s 400-meter dash final, taking the WAC title with a time of 53.19. Umajesty Williams from Grand Canyon led a trio of Lopes to the podium with a winning showing of 46.63, with teammates Erin Brown (47.15) and Calvin Wilson (47.40) rounding out the top three.

Joanna Archer from Grand Canyon took home a competitive women’s 800-meter run final with a time of 2:11.27. Max Carmona won the men’s 800-meter title for the third straight year but for the first time at Grand Canyon, as the UTRGV transfer posted his best finals time of the triple with a 1:50.75 effort.

NM State’s Downie added a second Saturday win in the women’s 200-meter dash, crossing the line in 23.65 to best Sam Houston’s Gurode (23.73) in the event final. Grand Canyon’s Kyle De Moica was the men’s 200-meter dash champion with a winning time of 20.83, establishing a top facility mark at The Podium.

Utah Valley’s Everlyn Kemboi earned a second event win of the weekend and defended her crown in the women’s 3000-meter run, establishing a meet record time of 9:21.33 to finish ahead of Abilene Christian standout Irene Rono (9:25.77). Habtamu Cheney from Utah Valley finished as the men’s 3000-meter champion in 8:12.73 to defeat Southern Utah’s Isaiah Labra (8:13.03).

Southern Utah’s lineup of Secret Mceuen, Jentry Skidmore, Seadra Hamilton and Maya Benjamin won the women’s 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:45.08 after NM State, who had posted an unofficial time of 3:40.74, was disqualified. Grand Canyon’s De Moica, Wilson, Bryson Benjamin and Williams capped the championship with a meet record time of 3:09.52 to win the men’s 4x400-meter relay.

2023 WAC INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM SCORES

2023 WAC Men’s ITF Championship Team Scores

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Grand Canyon	139.5
2.	Stephen F. Austin	100
3.	Southern Utah	99
4.	Utah Valley	93
5.	UT Arlington	72.5
6.	Abilene Christian	68
7.	Tarleton	54
8.	Sam Houston	21
9.	Seattle U	10
10.	UTRGV	5

2023 WAC Women’s ITF Championship Team Scores

Rank	Team	Points
1.	Stephen F. Austin	99.5
2.	NM State	83
	Sam Houston	83
4.	Grand Canyon	82
5.	Utah Valley	81.5
6.	Abilene Christian	59
	Southern Utah	59
8.	UT Arlington	47
9.	UTRGV	37
10.	Tarleton	21
11.	Seattle U	6
12.	Utah Tech	4

2023 WAC Indoor Track & Field Championships Individual Awards

WAC Men’s Outstanding Track Performer: Habtamu Cheney, Utah Valley
WAC Women’s Outstanding Track Performer: Everlyn Kemboi, Utah Valley
WAC Men’s Outstanding Field Performers: Astley Davis, Southern Utah, Jordan Okyere, Grand Canyon
WAC Women’s Outstanding Field Performer: Michelle Ogbemudia, Stephen F. Austin
WAC Men’s Freshman of the Year: Semion Brodski, Stephen F. Austin
WAC Women’s Freshman of the Year: Jade Johnson, Sam Houston
WAC Men’s High Point Award: Habtamu Cheney, Utah Valley, Jordan Okyere, Grand Canyon
WAC Women’s High Point Award: Jhana Downie, NM State, Everlyn Kemboi, Utah Valley
WAC Men’s Coach of the Year: Tom Flood, Grand Canyon
WAC Women’s Coach of the Year: Robert Hansen, Stephen F. Austin

 

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